Hinata
by AwesomeBrookie
Summary: Naruto Shippuuden with a Hinata twist. It's about time she got some action. Episode 166 onwards.
1. Prologue

**#flashback#**

_... 'I guess I'll be taking you now,' he told the helpless Jinchurichi as he prepared to finish what he'd started. At last he could acheive the peace he'd strived for._

_BAM!_

_Pein jumped back, avoiding the attack. He watched as its source got to her feet. She glanced at the boy behind her then faced forward, her eyes tightening in anger. 'I won't let you hurt Naruto-kun anymore!'_

_'Reinforcements?' He examined the girl in front of him. Despite the baggy jacket she wore he could tell that she was slight in build and she had the pale eyes of the hyuuga clan but it was obvious that she was considerably weaker than him. It would not take long for..._

_A loud voice interupted his thoughts. 'Why'd you come out here? Quickly get away! You're no match for..'_

_To Pein's surprise the girl nodded. 'I'm just being selfish.'_

_'What are you talking about?' Naruto shouted. 'Don't put yourself in danger like this!' Hmph, even this naive child knew that she had no chance._

_However, the girl didn't waver. 'I'm here because I want to be. This time... I'm going to save you, Naruto-kun.' She took a breath, still facing him as she spoke. 'I was always crying and giving up before even trying. I took the wrong turn so many times but you helped me find my way and take the correct path. I always chased after you. I wanted to catch up to you. I wanted to walk beside you all the time. I want to be at your side always. You changed me, Naruto-kun! Your smile is what saved me!... That's why I'm not afraid to die if it means that I can protect you!_

_Naruto looked shocked. He clearly had no idea that she had felt this way. Not that it would do him any good now, whenthey were both about to die. The girl's grim determination softened into a smile. She was beautiful, he'd give her that... but foolish, very foolish. _

_'Because I love you, Naruto-kun!'_

_With that said, the girl's smile faided and she moved into a fighting stance, activating her byakugan. Determination was once more evident in her features. Pein prepared another rod. The sooner he defeated this girl the better. Something about her irritated him._

_He waited for her to attack but yet again she surprised him as she turned and started to destroy the rods pinning down the Jinchurichi. It would be troublesome for him if she succeeded, so he swept her away before she could break a second rod._

_She hit the ground hard, but afterward she simply wiped the blood from her mouth and charged again... and was swept away again. How foolish._

_Pein moved between the two. She was slower in getting up this time and there was blood trickling doen her face, she wouldn't last long if she kept on like this. She seemed to realise this too as she began to gather chakra about her fists._

_'Gentle Step. Twin Lion Fists!' She came at him, striking at him repeatedly. He avoided all her blows easily and was about to sweep her away once more when a sudden wave of pain overtook his body, momenterily stalling his Deva-self. This left an opening for the girl to strike him, throwing him off balance, so that she could return to the boys side to free him._

_She managed to break one more rod before he repeled her with far more force than before, annoyed that he had allowed her to hit him even once. She flew through the air and as she neared the ground the boy screamed her name._

_'Hinataaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!'_

_She lay there, bleeding more heavily than before as the boy yelled and cursed and struggled until she finally opened her eyes._

_The boy cried out in relief but this quickly turned to fear and anguish as she tried to get up, failed and tried again, stumbling then half-dragging herself towards him._

_'Stop,' he whispered, looking away. 'Hinata, don't come.'_

_She fell just before she reached him and had to crawl the rest of the way. Her persistance both baffled and irritated Pein._

_'I don't understand,' he said, as she feebly attempted to break a rod with her hands. 'Why would someone weak like you try to resist? Why fight me? Knowing... that you'll die.'_

_Still struggling to free the Jinchurichi, almost too quiet to hear, she answered, 'I stand by what I say,' a sad smile graced her lips. 'Because that's my Ninja way.'_

_Her reply only served to annoy him further, so he decided to finish this. He threw her up in the air. When she landed at his feet, he took a rod and stabbed her, while the Jinchurichi boy looked on with wide, horror-filled eyes._

**#end of flashback#**

He felt the life leave his body as the Samsara of the Heavenly Life Technique came to a close. Now there was only one last thing he needed to do. He quickly made a few hand signs and squinted his eyes shut as pain burned behind his eyelids.

This would stop Tobi from getting his hands on the Rinnegan and this way it will be put to better use. To protect the boy he had put his faith in. Uzimaki Naruto.

That girl should still be alive. For reasons unknown to him at the time he had avoided giving her a fatal blow. Even if he had, the revival technique will have brought her back by now. This would also help make amends for the pain he'd caused her.

_Use it wisely, child_ were Nagato's last thoughts before he died.


	2. Chapter 1

Hinata propped herself against some nearby rubble as she observed the miracle before her eyes. The sky above her ruined village was filled with shooting, green lights and all around her fallen comrades came back to life as the lights struck them.

All of a sudden a different light came at Hinata. She felt a burn in her eyes right before she lost conciousness.

The others barely caught sight of the lilac light before it got to Hinata and Tenten reacted just in time to catch Hinata as she slid sideways. She tried to shake her awake, but it didn't work.

'Hey, Hinata! Wake up!' she yelled. 'Sakura, what's wrong with her?'

Sakura placed her hands in front of Hinata, a green chakra glow appearing around them. Her brow furrowed.

'I don't know. Physically, she's okay. It's most likely just exhaustion.'

Tenten nodded, but the worried expression didn't leave her face. Neji decided to intervine.

'Anyway, let's get out of this ditch,' he knelt down beside his cousin and scooped her into his arms. 'It seems everything is over now so we should find somewhere for her to rest.'

Everyone agreed and they all jumped out to the outer ridges of the village that were still intact. After they found a space free of rubble to lay her down on a makeshift bed of their jackets, they split up. Neji, Tenten and the other Hyuuga clan member opted to stay with Hinata until she woke up, while the others went to greet Naruto upon his return.

Naruto had come back to the village and been congratulated by everyone. He'd never been happier. Everyone had acknowledged him. He was getting closer to his dream of becoming Hokage. He was a hero.

A startling thought crossed his mind. Hinata! He hadn't seen her in the crowd. Everything had calmed down now and medical tents had been set up to treat the wounded. Was she still badly hurt? Was she... could she have..? No... Katsuyu had already told him she wasn't. But still. He needed see that she was okay. And... talk about some things.

A red tint covered Naruto's cheeks as he remembered her words. He quickly shook his head.

_This is not the time to be thinking of that. I have to find Hinata. I should ask someone. Oh...there's Sakura. She'll know where she is._

Naruto rushed over to where his pink-haired teammate was speaking to a fellow med-nin.

'Sakura-chan! Where is...' His question was interupted by a hard punch to the face.

'Naruto! Interupting someone's conversation is rude! Don't get cocky just cos' you saved the village!'

Naruto cradled his swelling cheek. _Sakura-chan is so cruel_.

Sakura smiled at the med-nin and excused herself politely. _Only to me though_ he thought self-pityingly.

'So, what is it that you want?' she asked impatiently, frowning at him with one hand on her hip. Naruto sobered and dropped his hand from his face.

'Where is Hinata? Is she okay?' he asked.

Sakura's face softened and she smiled. 'She's fine, just tired out,' she flipped through the pages of the clipboard in her other hand. 'If you want to see her go down that way, she is in the second tent on the right.' Sakura pointed in the direction of the medical tents. 'But try not to-'

Naruto didn't hear the rest of what she had to say as he was already going full speed towards the tents.

'Really,' Sakura sighed, shaking her head. _He's the same as always, even at a time like this_. She turned away from where Naruto was running. 'Well, whatever!' she said and got back to work - she had a lot of patients to attend to.

Hinata opened her eyes. They felt dry and the sudden exposure to light didn't help the lingering pain she felt in them. She blinked a few times, allowing them to ajust. She stayed lying down but her eyes scanned the room, checking out her surroundings. She was in a large tent. And there seemed to be a lot of other people there too. Those suffering from injuries and the med-nins who were treating said injuries.

Hinata gathered her thoughts. She had been injured in her fight with Pein, but she had lived. And so had Naruto-kun. Which meant more than she could ever say.

Just as he had appeared in her thoughts, he also appeared at the entrance of the tent. Hinata turned her head to the sound of his voice calling her. She felt an instinctive smile form, then she remembered her last words to him and the smile turned into an embarassed blush.

She wasn't ready to face him just yet. She briefly considered feigning sleep. But then he spotted her and his face lit up with a smile. Hinata felt ashamed for considering such a cowardly method.

'Hinata!' he called, moving to her bedside and pulling over a nearby stool to sit on. 'There you are. I was looking for you!'

She smiled at him, momentarily forgetting her embarassment at having confessed her feelings for him. Hinata tried to sit up, but a sharp stab in her side made it difficult. She felt a strong arm gently help her into a sitting position.

'Don't push yourself,' said the owner of the arm, his face unusally serious. 'You were seriously injured. You could of...of...' He couldn't even bring himself to say it.

Hinata's heart started to beat rapidly and she was suddenly accutely aware of his hand, still curled around her arm. She could feel its warmth through her jacket. A blush crept onto her cheeks and Naruto, noticing it, glanced down at were they touched then swiftly removed his hand, a red hue staining his own cheeks. He was clearly remembering the same thing that she was.

'Hinata, I-' Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a med-nin that had suddenly appeared beside them. She hadn't even noticed him approach.

She cleared her throat to get their attention. 'Excuse me but it's time for Hinata-san's check-up. I'm going to have to ask you to leave.'

At first Naruto looked like he might refuse, but then he clearly thought better of it and got up to leave. 'Bye, Hinata. Feel better soon, okay?'

Hinata just nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was too caught up in her relief. Though she had confessed, it had been in the heat of the moment... when she thought they both might die. She was by no means mentally prepared to hear his answer.

It wasn't until the med-nin had finished her examination and Hinata had settled back down onto the bed that she began to regret not hearing what Naruto had to say. But still... she had confessed!

_I did it. After all these years I finally told him how I feel_. And with that thought Hinata fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 2

Hinata sat on her bed in the medical tent surrounded by the Kohona 12, who had all decided to pay her a visit before they began helping with the village repairs. All that is apart from Naruto who had yet to show his face again since their last awkward encounter.

She had been stuck there for almost a week now and already she had missed so much. Neji had filled her in on Naruto's defeat of Pein and his newfound status as the hero of the village. She couldn't help but feel a rush of pride at hearing that. Naruto had finally gotten what he had longed for for so long - the recognition of the villagers. Now he was closer to his dream than ever.

She also couldn't help but feel a little ashamed as well. She had vowed to get stronger but she had been so easily beaten by Pein and in the end Naruto had freed himself (though how, she still did not know). It had led her to question her own resolve. Sure, she had finally confessed to Naruto but that had been when she thought that she might die and even now she didn't believe she had the courage to hear his answer.

Ino's voice brought her out of her thoughts. '...and then Choji ate them all himself.' she finished with a large sigh. Hinata hadn't heard the rest of the story but she could tell by Ino's exasperated expression that it had been an amusing one (to everyone except Ino, of course) and just the look on her face was enough for her to let out a giggle as everyone laughed while Ino glared at her teammate in remembered irritation and said teammate rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Neji was the first to stop laughing. 'It's good to hear your laughter again, Hinata-sama. This is the first time I've heard it since you've been here.' he remarked with a small smile on his face. She returned it, touched by her cousin's concern for her happiness.

Sakura looked over at Hinata after hearing Neji's words. 'Speaking of you being here - shouldn't you have been released by now. I mean, you're injuries were bad but not life threatening and I had already healed you mostly before you came here.'

Hinata looked down, avoiding her friends' questioning eyes so that they coudn't see the flash of panic in her own. She had hoped to avoid this line of questioning. Even she herself did not know quite what was going on with her body.

'I-I-...' This wasn't good, her old stutter resurfacing and giving away her anxiousness.

Luckily Ino came to her rescue, whether it was intentional or just to annoy her rival. 'Are you sure you just didn't make a mistake. It wouldn't be the first time.' she said directing a superior glance at the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura pursed her lips. Then she folded her arms and took on the same condescending look as Ino. 'Speak for yourself. Unlike some people, I don't make those kinds of mistakes.'

A blush darkened Ino's cheeks. 'Hey, that was one time and it wasn't even my fault!'

'Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say.'

'What was that?'

'You heard me. Ino-pig.'

'Forehead-girl!'

The two girls were now in each others faces and Hinata couldn't help but smile as the boys tried to calm them down. Tenten, however, joined in her mirth. 'Those two haven't changed a bit.'

Hinata smiled up at her friend, then turned back to the arguing pair. 'No, they have.' _Both Sakura and Ino were well respected med-nin now and I..._ The thought dissolved her smile and Tenten seemed to notice the change in her demeaner.

'Well!' she said. 'I think we should get these two out of here before they do something I'll regret.' Hinata agreed, once those two got into a fight it could be very hard to stop them. And this was a hospital, albeit a makeshift one.

Tenten ushered them out and the boys followed, looking relieved at having someone else step in. They all turned back as they reached the entrance of the tent and waved at her. Hinata put on her best smile and waved back, her troubles momentarily forgotten.

As Sakura was being almost pushed out of the medical tent by Tenten, she caught sight of a med-nin that she knew. 'Hikaru-san!' she called out. The man looked over in her direction as Sakura broke free from the group and approached him.

They greeted each other. 'It's been a while, how are you?'

The med-nin shrugged, 'You know.' She did. Sakura could see the dark circles under his eyes and knew that she likely had some of her own. All ninja with medical training had been put to work on the many injuries sustained during the attack.

A sudden thought popped into her head. 'Um... Hikaru-san. You were assigned to Tent C weren't you. When he nodded, she countinued, 'Why is it that Hina-, I mean Hyuuga-san is still there. Her injuries should be fine by now.'

Hikaru looked uncertain, by now the others had joined them and were eagerly listening for his answer.

Sakura noticed the man's hesitation. 'It's okay, you can tell us. We're all just worried that's all.' The med-nin looked around the group. They were all well respected ninja and a few of them he knew from working the hospital. He nodded.

'Well, it happened a few days ago...'

Hinata lay back down on her bed, her mind drifting back to Sakura's question. She couldn't explain it to her. She couldn't even understand it to herself! She thought back to the first time it happened.

**#flashback#**

_Hinata was in the middle of a dream about Naruto when she was violently awoken by a searing pain in her eyes. She screamed. What was happening to her._

_As the pain grew worse her cries grew louder. They drew the attention of the med-nin on duty who rushed to her side. Two others came through having heard her from outside._

_'What's wrong with her?' one demanded, seemingly the one in charge._

_'I-I don't know.' another said, his voice shaking slightly. 'She was sleeping soundly a minute ago then she just started screaming.'_

_'Don't talk rubbish. _Something_ must have happened!' the leading med-nin said harshly. Through the blinding pain Hinata felt a pang of simpathy for the younger man._

_The third med-nin stepped in. This one was a woman. 'Anyway, what we need to do now is relieve the pain.'_

_The leader grunted in agreement, obviously still dissatisfied. 'You two hold her still and I'll see what I can do.'_

_The other two complied and Hinata felt her arms and legs, which she hadn't even realised were thrashing, pinned down by unfamiliar mass. She felt someone grasp her face and almost immediately after someone started using a healing jutsu on her eyes._

_In a matter of minutes the pain subsided and then disappeared completely. The med-nin released her._

_'Try and get some sleep. You're alright now.' The one that healed her said._

_But that wasn't true at all she thought as two of them left and the other resumed his duties. For in the midst of her pain driven thrashing, Hinata had caught her reflection in a bearby bedpan and what she saw shook her to the core. Her eyes - still milky lavender - but rippled in a n all too familiar way._

**#end of flashback#**

Hinata pulled her blanket around her, shivering despite the fact that she wasn't cold. Fortunately there had not been a repeat of that incident but every now and then her eyes would sting.

She closed them. It was still early and she wanted to get a couple more hours of sleep before her next examination. She hoped it went well because she wanted nothing more than to get out of this place.

The young ninja exchanged worried glances as they absorbed what the now departed med-nin had just told them.

'I don't believe it.'

'Poor Hinata!'

Tenten looked at Neji, worry clear in her big, brown eyes. The young Hyuuga also looked troubled. 'Do you think something is wrong with her Byakugan?'

Neji's brow furrowed further. 'I hope not,' he said quietly. 'For Hinata-sama's sake.' Neither he nor Hinata wanted to imagen what would happen if that were the case.


End file.
